


Omne Ignotum pro magnifico est

by TiffanyF



Category: CSI: Miami, Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-03
Updated: 2013-02-02
Packaged: 2017-11-28 00:32:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/668237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Horatio Caine is shot he wakes up in another time with strange caretakers. How did he get there, how will he get home. And, most importantly, why is he feeling drawn to one of them.<br/>Horatio/surprise<br/>But slash, of course.<br/>****SPOILERS FOR CSI MIAMI SEASON 6 FINALE****</p><p>I don't own anyone you recognize and I don't make any money off of these stories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Horatio opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. He still wasn't used to the dim, flickering light the candles threw around the bedroom. He froze when his wandering gaze fell on the shadowed form in the doorway. The candlelight danced over strong features – pale skin and stone gray eyes that seemed to glow. While Horatio still wasn't sure how he got where – and when – he was, he knew that every part of him cried out to be with the man in the doorway. The intensity of his feelings scared him a little as he had never laid eyes on the man before this. He had only heard his voice. And felt his presence in the next room.

"You know what I am," said the man softly.

"I do," replied Horatio just as softly.

"And it does not scare you. I wonder why that is."

"I feel drawn to you."

The man sighed and moved silently into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. "I feel it as well," said he. "I've wondered since I was old enough to understand my nature who would be the one. And when I have found you at least, you're not really here."

"Is there enough of me here to do it?" asked Horatio.

"The parts that make you who you are, are here," replied the man. "Your mind and soul and heart are present. Only your physical body is absent. I can feast on your soul rather than your blood, but I have no notion of what that will do to the blood bond. But first tell me what you know so I can fill in the blanks before we go any further."

Horatio shifted on the narrow, hard mattress – sparing a thought as to how anyone could sleep on something so rock-like – and winced as the movement pulled at his stitches. Getting shot wasn't his favorite thing in the world. "Like all things in life there are good and evil," said he, leaning back into the pillows. "The evil ones are the reason for all the myths, legends and problems your kind face. These creatures can only go out at night as their skin is scaled and they are almost reptilian in appearance. However, they can cast a glamour over themselves so all their victims see is a handsome man or woman. And they feed indiscriminately, killing their prey more often than not."

The man smiled. "How do you know all this?"

"We had one of these guys in Miami last year," said Horatio. "He killed four people before we caught him. I did a lot of research to figure out what we were up against and how to stop him."

"There is more to their culture, but you have a good basic knowledge, for a human," said the man. "What about me?"

"The good ones – such as yourself – are able to live among humans and do not feed until the meet the one person their soul calls to," said Horatio. "Until they feed that first time, their skin is pale and will not color except for a faint flush at times. They can eat human food when the mood takes them, but it isn't necessary to keep them alive. Their intelligence is incredible and their senses are extremely sharp. For the most part, the good ones try to blend in with normal human society as much as possible."

"I am amazed and that happens very rarely," said the man. "You must have a quite remarkable library in your time. The only important fact you missed out is that we shun company and rarely like companionship of any kind until we meet our bonded. And even then, it is unlikely that we will like or tolerate company of any other than our bonded."

"So your companion?"

"He knows nothing of my true nature," replied the man. "He believes that I am merely a thinking machine with no heart or emotions, save ego and self-gratification."

"And you let him think this?" asked Horatio.

"It suits my purpose," said the man. "He enjoys helping me on my cases and I find his presence soothing most days."

Horatio shifted again. "So he truly believes I'm really here," said he. "As does your landlady."

"They can touch you, you feel solid to them so naturally you must be here," said the man waving a hand as if to dismiss such foolishness. "Only you and I know the truth, and even then, I'm not sure how this has come to pass."

"I suppose it's possible that after I was shot my soul knew that it had to find you so I could live," said Horatio.

"Fanciful, but I have often remarked that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," said the man. "And yet I have my doubts that we can complete the blood bond with anything nearing success as long as your physical form remains in your century and across the Atlantic."

"Will you still be alive in 115 years?" asked Horatio. "Will I be able to find you again?"

The man smiled and reached out to touch Horatio's hand. "I will not permanently leave this address until your return," said he as his hand slid through Horatio's. "As you see, I cannot touch you so there is no way for me to feed."

"Is a soul bond that much different?" asked Horatio. He shifted again.

"I do not know and, as we don't know how you got here, there is no way to know how much time I have for research," said the man. "And I am not going to risk you in some sort of an experiment."

"You'll do the research though?"

"It will help me pass the years until your return to me," said the man. "Hurry back to me when you awaken in your own time."

"I will," said Horatio. "No one will be able to keep me away."

"Not even with the name given my kind?" asked the man. "You will be thought quite mad."

Horatio smiled. "The word applies more to the evil ones," said he. "They are the true vampires."

"Not everyone will see it as you do," said the man with a soft sigh. "I will watch over you as you sleep and await your return eagerly. We have much to discuss."

"As soon as I can," promised Horatio.


	2. Chapter 2

Horatio remembered being at the air strip with a private plane to get Kyle and Julia out of the country and safety. He had just come down the steps of the plane and taken out his phone when he felt the fiery burn that meant he’d been shot. Horatio knew he had dropped his phone and sunglasses, but didn’t know anything else until he’d awoken in the 1890s. At first he hadn’t wanted to believe it, but study of his immediate surroundings, the surgical tools, food and newspaper had finally convinced him of the truth of the matter.

The first time he’d heard the vampire’s voice in the other room, Horatio’s heart sped up and his breathing went so short that the poor doctor thought his patient was about to die. Horatio managed to calm down and convinced the doctor that it was pain that was the cause rather than the presence in the next room. The doctor – who had been rather free with the morphine – gave Horatio a shot that knocked him out and when he woke up the vampire was gone.

Three days of brooding not only on his situation but the wonders of modern medicine – every time he moved the stitches in his stomach and chest pulled and he wondered exactly where he was shot and how large an incision the doctor had needed to retrieve the bullet – brought Horatio no closer to the answers he was seeking. If it wasn’t for the lingering presence of the vampire in the room, Horatio would’ve thought he’d either died at the airport or lost his mind. Time travel was not possible and there was no logical way Horatio could be in Victorian England.

His first sight of the vampire, his first conversation would also be the last and left Horatio no closer to the answers he was searching for. All it left him with was a deep burning ache and emptiness inside him that he knew would only be filled when he was back with the vampire once again. As he fell asleep under the vampire’s watchful, intense gaze, Horatio knew he was going to awaken in his own era.

A familiar and persistent voice pulled Horatio back to consciousness. “Come on, H, we need you to wake up and help us with this case. Cal and I have searched the entire air field and haven’t been able to find any trace of who shot you. Please wake up, H. I’m not going to survive losing my brother and best friend.”

“Eric,” Horatio whispered.

“H, thank god,” Eric exclaimed. “You’ve been unconscious for three weeks. The doctors told us you were almost brain dead and they wanted to take you off life support. We wouldn’t let them; Alexx was positive you were still in there, somewhere, and would come back to us.”

Horatio slowly opened his eyes and found that he was in the same room Marisol had died in. “Tell them to move me,” he said. “And I need water.”

“I’ve been trying, H,” Eric said. He adjusted the bed and handed Horatio a glass with a straw in it. “They won’t listen to me.”

“Then find me a doctor,” Horatio insisted. “I want to be moved, now.”

Before Eric could move or answer, two doctors and a nurse appeared in the doorway. “Officer Delko, we’ve told you before that if you cause a disturbance again then we were going to ask you to leave.”

“What has disturbed me, doctor,” Horatio said, “is waking up in the same room and bed that my wife died in. And then finding out that you wouldn’t listen to my family’s wishes when I was unconscious.”

“Lieutenant Caine,” the doctor said, looking flustered. “This was the best place for you.”

Horatio blinked a few times and squared his shoulders as best he could. “Well it’s not any longer,” he said. “Move me to a different room. Now.”  
********************

“I don’t know how you do it, H,” Eric said when they were finally alone in Horatio’s new, private hospital room. There were fewer machines so it was quieter, and Horatio’s IVs had been reduced down to two. “I’ve been trying to get them to move you every hour since they first let me in to see you.”

“It’s all in the eyes, Eric,” Horatio said between sips of water. “You said I’ve been here for three weeks. What’s been happening?”

“Calleigh has been running the lab, but refused the promotion that they offered her along with it,” Eric smiled. “Me, Cal and Alexx have all been convinced you were going to wake up and have been here constantly. You should’ve seen Alexx when Julia came in and tried to have you taken off life support.”

Horatio frowned. “Why would she even try something like that?” he asked.

“Hell H, she had the doctor convinced that she was your wife,” Eric replied. “Fortunately we were taking turns sitting with you at that point and were able to stop it.” He laughed. “Unfortunately for Julia, it was Alexx’s turn.”

“I can imagine,” Horatio said. “Eric, it doesn’t seem like almost a month. I’m not doubting you, but it seems like only a week.” Almost unbidden, Horatio’s thoughts returned to the vampire. He knew he had to find him again. And soon, Horatio could still feel the painful emptiness in him, and knew it wasn’t from the bullet wound. “I need to get out of here.”

Eric stared at him. “Get out of…Horatio, you only woke you two hours ago after being in a coma for three weeks,” he exclaimed. “You were on life support.”

“And I feel fine,” Horatio said. The pull to get back to the vampire was growing worse.

“You can’t even sit up on your own, let alone walk,” Eric said. “H, after I was shot, would you have let me out of the hospital the day I woke up?”

“You died, Eric,” Horatio said softly. “I watched them bring you back in the emergency room. It almost killed me to think that I was going to lose you too.”

Eric took Horatio’s hand. “I know you miss Marisol…”

“No, Eric, I was thinking about Tim,” Horatio said. “You were both so young and full of life and I got him killed and almost got you killed as well.”

“No you didn’t, H,” Eric insisted. “No you didn’t.”

“I know who shot me, Eric,” Horatio said. He carefully pulled his hand free and rolled onto his side. “And you won’t find any evidence at the scene. I just want to sleep.”

He could feel Eric’s eyes on him and knew that the gaze was concerned and confused. “Just promise me you’ll be here when I get back,” Eric finally said.

“Where would I go, Eric?”

“I don’t know, you’re the one acting all weird and talking about leaving,” Eric replied. “I’m not sure what to think.”

Horatio looked towards the foot of the bed. “Eric, it means a lot that you were the one here when I woke up,” he said. “You, Calleigh and Alexx are my family. Never forget that.”  
********************

In London the vampire was sitting alone in his rooms, his companion and landlady both long dead, when he felt something inside him stir and awaken.

“So he’s alive,” he murmured. “And awake. If he feels the pull as I do, he might do something foolish. I should have offered to go to him instead of telling him to come to me. Perhaps I should go. Our completed bond would heal him faster than any modern medicine could possibly hope to accomplish.”

That decided, if only to keep his blood bonded alive and with him sooner rather than later, the vampire rose gracefully, set the violin aside and went to pack.  
********************

Horatio glanced down at the handcuff around his left wrist and the bed frame. If anyone other than Alexx had tried something so foolish, Horatio probably would’ve killed them without a second thought. It seemed that when Eric had left Horatio’s room, the younger man went outside and promptly called Alexx. Then Alexx had shown up in a whirlwind with the handcuffs she’d borrowed from Frank Tripp firmly in hand and secured Horatio to the bed.

“I don’t want to hear a word of you getting out of this bed before the doctors tell you that you can, Horatio,” she’d said. “You were really sick and you need to give your body a chance to heal now that you’re awake.”

“Alexx, I feel fine,” Horatio had protested. He had checked and was amazed at how much smaller the bandage was than then one he’d had in the other time. “I just need to eat something resembling real food and I’ll be able to go home.”

“No you won’t,” Alexx insisted. “You’re going to listen to the doctors and do what they tell you.”

Horatio had glared at her. “The same doctors who were going to let Julia, a woman not even mentioned on my paperwork, kill me?” he asked. “What would have happened if you weren’t here, Alexx? I can’t believe you expect me to trust these morons.”

“Not only do I expect it, you’re going to,” Alexx said. She had put her hands on her hips. “I don’t want to hear of you giving them any trouble.”

That was roughly the point where Horatio had given up. He knew it was useless to argue with Alexx, especially when she was in full mother hen mode, and had rolled onto his side to sleep. It amazed him how little the stitches pulled now that he was back in his body, and made him wonder if the material used for sutures was different. Or if the modern day doctors had just done less cutting.

Horatio wanted nothing more than to get out of the hospital and on the first plane he could find to London. He wanted, needed, to be with the vampire. He was amazed that neither of them had felt this pull before he was shot and it made him wonder if the injury had something to do with it. Horatio rolled over carefully and tucked a hand under his pillow. For some reason he could feel the pull lessening and hoped that it didn’t mean that the vampire had found another or didn’t want him any more.  
********************

When the vampire arrived in Miami he used the pull of the bond to find the hospital where his blood bonded was being treated. He hated hospitals, more so now than he ever did in his birth age. With a small sigh, he wrapped his jacket around him and – to everyone’s eye – vanished. He walked through the halls, being careful not to bump into anyone, to a third floor room. The vampire paused in the door and studied the man in the bed. His blood bond’s hair was messier than it had been all those long years ago and his face was whiter. But otherwise he looked the same and the vampire wanted to see his blue eyes open again.

As if the vampire had spoken his desire aloud, Horatio stirred and rolled onto his back. Blue eyes met gray and Horatio smiled. “You do still want me,” he said softly.

“Why would I not?” the vampire asked.

“I don’t know, I felt the pull to be with you easing and thought that maybe you had found someone else or just didn’t want me anymore,” he replied.

“Your books lack some vital information, no surprise if they were written by a human,” the vampire said. “Once we, the good ones, fix onto a blood bond, even if it’s not completed, we desire no other. And if you die, it is unlikely I’d take another. You’re intelligent enough to interest me as well as fulfill the desire to be near you. I doubt I could find anyone else with so redeeming a mind.”

Horatio smiled. “I thought that once the blood bond was completed, I couldn’t die.”

“One of the evil ones could kill you, but you won’t age or die otherwise,” the vampire said. He glanced down at the handcuffs. “Why are these here?”

“My family didn’t want me sneaking out of the hospital,” Horatio admitted. “All I could think about was the desire to see you.”

“I am here, but we should get you to your own home,” the vampire said. “If for no other reason than I don’t wish to complete our bond here where anyone could see you.”

“I’m ready if you are,” Horatio said.

When Eric and Calleigh showed up an hour later, they found the room empty and the mangled handcuffs lying in the middle of the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Horatio looked around the large hotel room the vampire had taken for them. “I thought we were going to my place,” he said as he was taken over to the bed.

“We were, my dear Horatio, but then I realized it was the first place your friends will look for you,” the vampire said. “And I do not wish to be disturbed for any reason.”

“They’ll check hotels too,” Horatio said.

“They will not find us,” the vampire said. He sat down on the bed and reached out to run a long finger along Horatio’s cheek. “You do know what bonding with me means and what will happen.”

“I do,” Horatio said. “When you bite me the venom in your fangs will enter my bloodstream and slow both my heart and respirations. I won’t become a vampire, but I won’t die either.”

The vampire looked serious. “You’ll never die as long as I feed from you at least once a week,” he said. “Otherwise your heart will burst, killing you instantly. And once my venom is in your system no other can feed from you. Their venom would be as a poison to you.”

“Why would my heart burst?” Horatio asked.

“When your heart slows your body will produce more blood to compensate and keep you alive,” the vampire said. “My feeding from you frequently will help remove some of this excess blood and keep you healthy. However, if I am killed, the blood will flood your system and the pressure will be too much for your heart. It will kill you.”

“What could kill you?”

The vampire sighed. “You know who I am?” he asked in reply.

“Your companion let your name slip,” Horatio smiled.

“He always was proud of me,” the vampire said. “And liked to be sure people knew who I was.”

Horatio’s smile widened. “I can see why,” he said. “You are a legend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.”

“A legend as a fictional creation,” Holmes said waving his hand. “Why did you not question him further on the matter?”

“I was 115 years in the past without my body,” Horatio said. “Learning that I was at 221 B Baker Street in London, England under the care of Dr. John Watson didn’t throw me in the least.”

Holmes laughed. “I feel fortunate to have a blood bond who is intelligent and yet still has a sense of humor, for I fear my black moods are depressing enough for us both,” he said. Then he grew serious. “If you know who I am, then you know I have a mortal enemy.

“Professor Moriarty,” Horatio said.

“He is one of the evil ones,” Holmes said. “The only thing that can kill a vampire is another vampire. And even then it is difficult.”

“Is that why Moriarty isn’t seen in the books until the Final Problem?” Horatio asked. “Because he’s an evil one?”

“It is,” Holmes said. “Of late he’s been in France working with a criminal group there. I haven’t been able to find any proof that I could present to the authorities, and we vampires aren’t exactly recognized by the government.”

Horatio blinked a few times. “Wait a minute, the evil one I found before. I thought I killed him.”

“No, no, no – he’s only in a coma,” Holmes said. “He’ll return in another year, more deadly than before. But I’ll be with you and will end his life for good.”

“You’d leave London for me?”

“Not for an extended period of time,” Holmes said. “But I have observed how attached you are to your Miami. And I would be remiss if I did not deal with the threat that lingers here.”

“But we will leave some day?” Horatio asked.

“We have to, you will not age after tonight,” Holmes replied. “But we’ll have time to talk about all of this. Do you feel strong enough to shower?”

“No, but I can take a bath,” Horatio said. “They refused to feed me until tomorrow morning to give my system time to adjust. I’m sure if I could just eat I’d be fine.”

“Modern medicine,” Holmes growled. “They think they know everything even when they do more harm than good.”

Horatio laughed. “There’s very little a good meal won’t cure,” he said. “If you help me in and out of the tub, I’ll get cleaned up.”  
********************

“There’s no way he could just vanish,” Alexx said. “The heart monitor would have alarmed, for one; he was cuffed to the bed, for two; and someone would have seen him leaving.”

“And none of that mattered,” Eric insisted. He held up the twisted cuffs. “These were on the bed when Calleigh and I got here, the heart monitor was turned off and no one saw or heard anything.”

“Eric, sweetie, that’s impossible,” Alexx said. “How could Horatio just vanish?”

“I’ve seen something like that before,” Calleigh said pointing to the cuffs. “I think Horatio has been taken by a vampire.”

“Vampire?” Eric asked. “You mean like that serial killer he killed last year?”

Calleigh sighed. “Just like that,” she said. “It would explain everything; the lack of evidence and Horatio just vanishing like he did.”

“Then we need to find him before this demon makes Horatio his dinner,” Eric exclaimed. “We just got him back, Cal, we can’t lose him again.”

Alexx looked at the pair. “Where do we start?”

“At Horatio’s house,” Eric said. “Maybe there’s a clued there that can help us.”

“We’ve been through there twice,” Calleigh commented. “What could we possibly have missed?” She had been the one to search the bedroom and now knew more about her boss then she had ever wanted to.

“I don’t know, Cal, but we have to start somewhere,” Eric said. “We’ll switch rooms this time. Fresh eyes are always good.”

“No, Eric, that’s not a good idea,” Calleigh said quickly. She knew if Eric saw some of the things Horatio had hidden in his room, the younger man would have some problems with his boss and they had enough problems as it was. “In fact, why don’t you start here and then go to his office. If we split up we can get more done and find Horatio that much faster.”

He looked at her like she was crazy. “Okay,” Eric finally said. “Let’s get started.”  
********************

The smell of grilled steak roused Horatio from the light doze the warmth of the bath had caused. He found the washcloth and soap to finish washing. He’d never realized how little good a sponge bath would do or how good it felt to be clean again.

“Holmes?” he called.

“Are you ready to get out?” Holmes asked as he walked into the bathroom. “I decided to order us some supper. You need your strength for tonight, although our bond will heal your wounds soon enough. I worry about your blood pressure though.”

Horatio shifted to his knees and took the offered hand before climbing carefully to his feet. “That’s what woke me up,” he admitted with a wry smile.

“Sit before you fall.” Holmes placed a towel on the closed toilet seat and picked up another one. “I want you to think hard and ask any last questions you might have while we eat.”

“Why don’t I feel empty inside?” Horatio asked. He put the smaller towel he’d been using to dry around his stitches down and picked up a new bandage.

“Because I’m here with you,” Holmes said. “The blood bond awakened when you heard my voice and felt my presence for the first time in Baker Street. Yes, even though I had yet to bite you. When you awoke here it came alive again. In you it was a painful hollowness, one that would worsen until we were together again. For me it was more of a pull to guide me to your side. As long as we remain together until I bite you, you will not feel it. And I have no plans to leave you.”

Horatio lifted his foot and slowly put on a pair of black sleep pants he didn’t recognize. “After we bond will I still be able to be hurt?” he asked. He shivered a little when Holmes wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in close.

“Are you cold?”

“No.”

Holmes regarded him for a moment, stopped and shifted so he was in front of Horatio, gazing down at him. As it said in the stories, Holmes was six foot two, but thin which only made him appear that much taller. “Soon,” he whispered. “Soon nothing will be able to separate us.”

Horatio slid his hands up the vampire’s arms and pulled Holmes’s head in for a kiss. They both moaned at the first press of lip on lip before Holmes tilted his head a little further and deepened the kiss, tongue thrusting into Horatio’s mouth to taste him.

“You need to eat,” Holmes whispered, catching Horatio’s weight easily before he could fall to the ground.

“If I must,” Horatio said. He gazed up into the steely gray eyes. “But now I can’t wait for desert.”


	4. Chapter 4

“There is something I’m curious about,” Horatio said once they were seated at the table.

“What is that?” Holmes asked. “Eat slowly for I do not want you to get sick.”

“In the early stories Watson makes mention of morphine and cocaine use,” Horatio replied. He cut a small piece off his steak, put it in his mouth and moaned at how good it tasted.

Holmes’s keen gray eyes were fixed on Horatio’s face. “Waiting may be harder than I imagined,” he finally said.

Horatio smiled. “Only another hour,” he said. “The drugs?”

“They were not,” Holmes said. “It was a solution to keep what little blood that was in my system flowing properly.”

“And allowing you to pass as a human,” Horatio said. “So why say it was a drug?”

“Because, in a way, it was,” Holmes replied. “I did not care to inform Watson of my true nature and, as I had to take the injections thrice daily it was easier to allow him to believe it was some form of stimulant.”

“I have to admit that I’m very relieved.”

“You have a close relative who uses drugs?”

“I did, he’s dead now. My younger brother, Raymond, was undercover for narcotics and got in over his head,” Horatio said. “They faked his death and he left not only his family but an illegitimate child behind. When I learned he was alive, I helped him flee his persecutors, only to find out he went right back into the drug world. He was killed in Brazil.”

Holmes studied his soon to be blood bonded closely. “Family means everything to you and nothing to him,” he said. “Will you be able to leave them behind, Horatio?”

“It will be hard, probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Horatio said with a small sigh. “But to be with you is all I want. Will you be able to give me time to be sure everyone is well cared for?”

“We have at least a year,” Holmes replied. “And we can visit, for a time, until it’s too obvious that you are no longer aging. Then we must disappear.”

“Where will we go?”

“My family home in England or, if you wish, we can travel for a time,” Holmes said. “We will never want for money. If you so wish you can set up accounts for your family before we leave.”

“I will,” Horatio agreed. “And travel might be the best option. My son, Kyle, won’t take me leaving well and might try to follow me.”

“Were you married?”

“No, Julia is an old girlfriend. I was serious and she wasn’t. I didn’t even know Kyle was alive until he was sixteen and a suspect in a kidnapping.” Horatio sighed and took another bite of his steak.

“You do not have a good relationship,” Holmes observed. “Does he blame you?”

“For some things,” Horatio said. “The other thing we have to do is take care of the person who shot me and the person who ordered the hit.”

Holmes smiled. “We can start that tomorrow,” he said. “Even though so much time has passed, I should be able to pick up some trail of who attempted to deprive me of my companion.”

“Technically, if I hadn’t been shot we wouldn’t be sitting here now,” Horatio said. He leaned back in his chair with a small groan.

“You are in pain,” Holmes said. He stood and gathered Horatio up as if he was a child. “Come, let’s get you to bed and I’ll see what I can do to ease your suffering.”

“How much good vampire lore is there in the popular myth?” Horatio nuzzled Holmes’s neck. “And now much evil?”

“Later,” Holmes said. He put one knee on the bed and carefully deposited Horatio in the middle of the soft king-sized mattress. “For now I need you as relaxed as possible so I do not hurt you.”

“Could you?”

“Tonight, if I am not careful, yes,” Holmes replied. He dropped his shirt on the floor and started to undo his belt. “But I promise you that I’ll be very careful.”

“Because of this?” Horatio put a hand carefully over his white bandage.

“That is most of it, but there is always an element of danger when the bond between vampire and bonded is being formed,” Holmes said. “However, I do not anticipate any problems for us.”

Horatio looked over his vampire as the pale skin was revealed and suddenly missed the flickering light from the candles back in Baker Street. He knew that once Holmes had fresh blood in him, his skin would warm a little and he would appear more human. Horatio wanted to memorize what Holmes looked like at that moment.

He shivered as Holmes joined him on the bed. “Will I always have that reaction to being close to you?”

“I hope so. Stay still.” He carefully pulled off Horatio’s sleep pants and tossed them onto the floor.

“Tell me what I have to do.”

The most important thing is to be relaxed when I bite you,” Holmes said. He knelt on the bed and started to carefully remove the bandage. “It will hurt, but I need to be able to see this as my venom should heal your wounds.”

“Are you going to take out the stitches?”

“I am, it appears healed enough to stay closed until the bond between us is complete. Stay very still for this.” Holmes picked up a pair of small scissors from the bedside table and leaned in. “I will kill the one who did this to you. I never want you to be in pain again.”

“Leaving Miami will hurt,” Horatio said. He hissed softly. “But it’s something I can work through.”

Holmes bent down and kissed the wound. “I am sorry,” he said. “But these won’t dissolve as the wound heals. I do not want you to scar if you don’t have to.”

Horatio caught Holmes’s free hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed it. Holmes dropped the scissors as a hard shiver ran through his entire form. The red head grinned and drew one of the long fingers into his mouth and sucked softly.

“It’s dangerous to tease a vampire,” Holmes whispered as his fangs appeared. “Let me finish.”

“Hurry,” Horatio said.  
********************

Calleigh – for obvious reasons – saved Horatio’s bedroom for last. She went through his office, again surprised at the number of books on vampire lore, his files and desk. The living room, kitchen, bath and spare room were all nicely furnished and held no clues to indicate where Horatio might be. 

Finally she couldn’t put it off any longer and made her way into the master bedroom. Calleigh put her kit down and picked up a silver picture frame that was on the bedside table. “Hey Tim,” she said, looking at the dark brown eyes. “I really wish you were here to help out with this. You knew Horatio better than anyone and you’d probably know where he is too.”

Tim Speedle’s smiling face looked back at her. Calleigh hadn’t know that Horatio and Speed were lovers – still didn’t know for sure, but she couldn’t think of another reason for Horatio to have the other man’s picture in his bedroom. Well, that along with the rather large collection of sex toys and videos labeled H and S with dates gave her some fairly hard evidence. And she mentally smacked herself for laughing at that sentence.

“Miss you, Speed,” Calleigh said. She put the picture down carefully and looked around the room. Deep down she knew that even if the vampire had been in Horatio’s house he (or she) was unlikely to leave any sort of trace behind. She really just wanted to keep Eric busy until one of two things happened; they found Horatio’s body or he showed up again.

It just showed – again – that life wasn’t fair and life as a CSI or cop in Miami was dangerous. First they had lost Speed, then Eric had been shot and still wasn’t whole. Calleigh had been kidnapped and through it all Horatio had been there as the anchor for the team. Calleigh wiped her eyes and picked up her kit. They couldn’t lose Horatio too – the team wouldn’t survive a blow like that. A world without Horatio Caine in it wasn’t one she wanted to even think about.


	5. Chapter 5

Horatio waited patiently as the rest of his stitches were removed, shivering as every touch of Holmes’s long, cool fingers sent shockwaves through him. As soon as the small scissors were put down, he grabbed Holmes’s hand and started sucking on his finger again. Horatio almost couldn’t understand it and, if he hadn’t read so much about vampires when hunting the evil one, he’d have been scared at the intensity of the feelings shooting through him. He was desperate to have Holmes touching him, to have some part of the vampire in his body, even if it was just a finger in his mouth. Horatio had never felt such a depth of feeling and desire before, and it scared him only in the small part of his mind still capable of rational thought. The rest of his mind had shut down, given itself over to the sensations Holmes was creating as the long, thin fingers of his free hand roamed over Horatio’s skin.

“Release me,” Holmes commanded softly. His fangs were still visible although mostly hidden by his thin lips.

In response Horatio started sucking harder, his eyes closing in bliss. Holmes growled deep in his throat, sounding almost like an animal and ripped his hand free. Before Horatio could react, Holmes was on him, hands pinning his wrists to the bed and his mouth taken in a deep kiss. Horatio pushed up for more contact causing Holmes to shift and straddle him, never breaking the kiss. As Horatio started to push in and explore Holmes’s mouth, he nicked his tongue on a fang and the copper tang of blood flooded his mouth.

Holmes pulled back, his gray eyes wild. He slowly licked his lips as he stared down at Horatio. “Are you so intent on having me claim you without any preparation?” he asked softly. “I do not want to hurt you, Horatio.”

“Please, don’t tease,” Horatio replied. He struggled to get his hands free so he could touch Holmes. “I need more. I need you inside me.”

“Be still,” Holmes ordered and was relieved when the weaker human stopped moving. “You’re still injured, my dead Horatio. I need you to stay absolutely motionless for me. Do not move.”

“Hurry,” Horatio said. He whimpered when the vampire left the bed and crossed to his bag. But he didn’t move except to turn his head and watch as Holmes bent down and dug around in his black bag. “Will I ever be inside you?”

“Do you so wish it?” Holmes asked.

“Yes.”

“Then you shall.”

“Soon?”

Holmes looked back and smiled. “Are you always this eager?” he asked. “Ah, here it is.” He stood up with something in his hand and returned to the bed. “How many lovers have you been so wanton for?”

“Just you,” Horatio said with complete honesty. And it was true, not once in either of his previous serious relationships had he ever felt or behaved in such a manner. He spread his legs open when Holmes climbed back onto the bed.

“How long has it been?” Holmes asked as he started to slick his fingers.

“With another person, almost four years,” Horatio replied.

“You have toys,” Holmes said as his finger slid into Horatio’s body. “I see that you do, this won’t take nearly as long as I feared.” His head snapped up and he glared at Horatio. “I told you not to move.”

“I need to touch you,” Horatio panted as the fingers opening his body started to thrust. He wasn’t sure what felt better, another man’s hands on and in him or the bond waiting to be finished.

“Soon,” Holmes said.

Horatio’s back arched and he cried out as the thrusting fingers ran over his prostate. Holmes grinned down at him and leaned in, taking Horatio’s erection in his mouth. The sensation of fangs sliding along such sensitive skin coupled with the increasing thrusts into his body pushed Horatio over the edge.

Holmes carefully pulled his fingers out and wiped them on   
a cloth as he kept sucking on Horatio. The red head finally stirred when the sucking sensation turned painful. Holmes pulled back immediately and, before Horatio could move or react, was sheathed inside him.

Horatio was almost dizzy with the needle-prick sensations that were spiking in him wherever naked skin was pressed together. The feeling of Holmes’s cock in his ass was indescribable, incendiary, incandescent and Horatio wanted it never to end. He pulled his legs up and wrapped them around Holmes, allowing the vampire to slip that much further into his body and nudge his prostate as well.

The vampire could feel Horatio growing hard again between them and started pressing kisses along Horatio’s jaw and down to his neck. He unerringly found the vein that would carry his venom back to Horatio’s heart and seal them together for an eternity. Horatio tilted his head to the right, exposing more skin to the nuzzling lips that were sending sparks of desire directly to his cock. He shuddered when he felt the scrape of fangs followed by a soft tongue lapping the trail left behind. The cycle repeated several times until Horatio was nothing more than a shivering, pleading bundle of nerves begging for the next tough.

Holmes thrust forward sharply at the same instant he bit down – Horatio’s cry in his ears, blood flooding his mouth and semen pumping between them as he climaxed for a second time. Holmes drank almost leisurely as he kept thrusting into his new bonded’s body, relishing the taste and sensation of the rich, warm blood on his tongue.

As he felt Horatio’s heart slowing, Holmes pulled back and licked the wound on Horatio’s neck, watching to be sure it closed. The he sealed his lips to Horatio’s as he started thrusting faster, seeking his own release. Horatio’s hips were pushing back weakly and Holmes realized that, somehow, Horatio was hard again. He bit down on Horatio’s lower lip as he came, the flash of pain sending Horatio over as well.

“It seems you have a few hidden kinks,” Holmes whispered as he caught his breath.

“Never been like that before,” Horatio murmured. He whimpered as Holmes pulled out of his body and left the bed.

“Shhh, I’m just going to clean us up and then you need to sleep to let your body heal,” Holmes soothed. “We need to get you back to your team before they work themselves into a frenzy.”

“They’ll be okay,” Horatio said sleepily. He shivered any time one of Holmes’s fingers touch his skin. “Just want to stay with you.”

Holmes smiled as he got his new bonded under the covers and joined him. “The fuzziness will be gone by tomorrow,” he said. “And the desire to be with me should also lessen enough to allow you to function normally.”

“Always going to need you,” Horatio whispered as he fell asleep.

“I shall always need you too, my dear Horatio,” Holmes said as he watched the other man sleep.

Holmes knew at some level his new blood bonded was speaking the truth. The team Horatio considered his family would be fine in the long run, however, at another level Holmes was equally sure that the team needed their red-haired leader and would not surrender him easily. He only hoped the humans would give Horatio a chance to explain the situation and what had happened rather than just shooting Holmes on the spot. The bullet would not kill him, but it would take longer than a week to heal and the result would be fatal to Horatio.

The problem, ultimately, was that people only knew about the evil ones, the vampires who killed indiscriminately in order to stay alive. Only those who studied vampiric culture, ones like Horatio, knew that there were also good vampires in the world. Holmes knew that Horatio’s team wouldn’t be stupid – there was no way his intelligent blood bond would settle for anything less than a matching intellect for his team – and the team would make the connection between the evil one they faced the previous year and the small clues Holmes had been forced to leave behind. It was more than probably they believed their team leader dead at the hands of a monster.

With a small sigh, Holmes settled in for a long night of watching Horatio sleep. He rarely slept more than a few hours a night anyway and he needed to keep watch for any signs of an allergic reaction to the venom that was now in Horatio’s system. It was rare, but it had happened before – killing the human.

And then the hunt for the one who had attempted to kill Horatio would begin. Holmes had an idea that there were two of them in on the plot and he wasn’t going to play favorites. They were both dead men as soon as he found them.

Holmes had some very creative ideas in mind for the both of them. He smiled and kissed Horatio’s forehead softly. He wouldn’t let his new blood bond watch. There was no reason to force Horatio to suffer a second time for their betrayal.


	6. Chapter 6

When Horatio awoke the next morning he felt good, far better than he had in a long time, and realized all the aches were gone. Not just the pain from being shot, but all the little aches that had developed with age were missing too. He opened his eyes slowly and found intense gray eyes studying him. “Good morning.”

“I was beginning to think you would never awake,” Holmes replied.

“I guess I had a lot of healing to do,” Horatio said. “I feel just fine.”

Holmes smiled. “Sit up and tell me that. Your blood pressure will have changed and I need to be sure you’re not going to faint.”

“So all you’re going to do to me this morning is give me a physical?”

“It’s almost time to checkout and I want to see your home. We can continue our activities from last night once we’re there,” Holmes said.

“Holmes, will you bite me every time we’re together?” Horatio asked. He pushed himself up into a sitting position slowly. “I mean, is there some connection between your climax and feeding?”

“No,” Holmes replied. “Come, let’s get you cleaned up. I only need to feed once a week, although I can feed more frequently, it would make you sick.”

“So does that mean we’ll only make love once a week?” Horatio asked.

“Are you still so eager for my touch?” Holmes steadied Horatio as he stepped into shower.

“It’s not that, it’s just that sometimes when I’ve had a bad day at work or am feeling stressed by something, I find that sex is a good way to relax,” Horatio admitted.

“Feeding and sex are not linked for me,” Holmes said. “Nor do I find the act repulsive. It is my job to care for you and see that you get everything you need. But I need a promise from you. Until I learn to read your moods, you need to tell me what you need and when you need it.”

Horatio nodded and shivered at the same time. “Will my perception of temperature be altered now?” he asked turning up the hot water.

“They will, my apologies,” Holmes said. “Wash quickly. You have less blood in your body at the moment so you will a chill more readily. As time passes things should settle as your body will be producing extra blood. But you will still feel the cold more easily as your circulation will be slowed.”

“Can we go to the airstrip today?”

“So eager to return to work.” Holmes handed Horatio a towel. “Yes, we can go today and see what I can pick up. How much confirmation do you need?”

Horatio sighed and met the vampire’s eyes in the mirror. “Just the shooter,” he said. “I believe I know who paid him to try and kill me.”

“Do you not need evidence that will stand up to the scrutiny or a judge and jury?”

“They’re not going to live that long, so why pretend?” Horatio asked. “I only need the evidence to prove they were involved.”

“Don’t jump to rash conclusions,” Holmes cautioned. He cupped the back of Horatio’s head and tilted it up until they made eye contact. “When you turn the guilty party or parties in, or over to me, you need to know without a doubt that it was them. It would kill you if you harmed an innocent.”

“Believe me, if it’s who I think it is, the pain is already there,” Horatio sighed. He leaned in and kissed his lover. “I guess I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be.”

“Then get dressed and we’ll depart,” Holmes said.  
********************

The house was, Holmes thought, very much what he expected from Horatio. Simple, elegant, and very much a home. But there was another influence in the home, another presence. “Who else has lived here?”

“My lover, Tim,” Horatio replied. “We were only together four years when he was killed in the line of duty. I watched him die.”

“And would’ve done anything to save him.”

“Part of me died with him, a part that’s never come back.”

Holmes nodded. “As I said to Watson after the death of his wife, work is the best antidote for sorrow,” he said. He reached out and cupped Horatio’s cheek gently. “Looking at you I begin to believe that is not the case. For looking into your eyes, I see the truth.”

“What is it?” Horatio asked leaning into the touch.

“Time is the only true way to heal,” Holmes replied. His breath caught as Horatio’s hand covered his. “And even then some wounds never truly heal.”

The pair was interrupted by a knock at the door. Holmes hissed softly. “It’s a young male,” he said. “Do you want me to wait in the back?”

“If it’s who I think it is then that would probably be a good idea,” Horatio replied. “You’ll know when to join me.”

Holmes nodded and vanished down the hall. He knew that Horatio would be able to see him no matter what, but the young man wouldn’t. He would wait until Horatio was settled in the living room with his guest and then join them.

“Eric,” Horatio said as he opened the front door.

“H!” Eric pulled the red head into a tight hug. “When Calleigh and I found you missing I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“Why is that?” Horatio asked. He hugged Erick back and moved them into the house. “I told you I was fine and ready to leave, Eric. Come on, let’s sit down. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Horatio, you almost died,” Eric protested. “There was no way you could’ve been ready to leave. Alexx said that you’d have to be in the hospital for another two weeks at the least. What are you covering up?”

“I’m not hiding anything,” Horatio said. He settled into Tim’s old chair with a sigh. “Remaining in that place would have done me more harm than good. Those doctors were all idiots who didn’t have my best interests in mind.” 

Eric rubbed his eyes. “So where did you go, H?” he asked. “You weren’t here. Calleigh came and checked. She wouldn’t let me near the house for some reason.”

Horatio thought about the pictures of Speed, videos they had made together, and the sex toy collection in his bedroom and mentally thanked Calleigh. That was one less thing he would have to worry about Eric finding out. “I went to the beach with a friend, Eric,” he finally said. Horatio felt bad lying to the young man he considered family, but he certainly wasn’t going to tell him how the night was really spent. “We went out to dinner, as the hospital wouldn’t feed me solid food, and then came back here. I only just woke up about an hour ago and was about to call you when you knocked.”

“What about these, H?” Eric held up a bag with the twisted handcuffs. “You didn’t do this on your own and there are no marks on your wrists. Calleigh said that a vampire did this. Where is he, H? Where is the monster that took you?”

“Eric, he’s not a monster,” Horatio said. “Listen to me; there are two types of vampires in the world. The one we dealt with last year was what’s known as an evil one. But there are also good vampires, ones who won’t hurt anyone else.”

“That’s not entirely true, my dear Horatio,” Holmes said as he appeared next to the chair Horatio was in. “For I fully intend to kill the ones who tried to take you from me.”

At the strange man’s sudden appearance, Eric jumped up and pulled his gun. “Who the hell are you and what have you done to Horatio?”

Horatio stood and stepped in front of the vampire. “You’re not ready to hear this, Eric,” he said softly. “This is the man who saved my life when I was shot, and removed me from the hospital to help me heal. Yes he is a vampire, but he means me no harm and that’s all you need to know.”

“How do you know that?” Eric demanded. “All they want is blood. Let me see your neck, H.”

“You are misinformed,” Holmes said calmly. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Horatio, who shivered at the contact. “The evil ones thirst constantly for human blood and kill to obtain it. But, as Horatio says, there are also good vampires who can live without blood, as I have done for over 100 years. We wish nothing more than to be left alone to our studies and books. However, as we are the only ones who can kill the evil ones, we occasionally interact with others.”

“All vampires are liars,” Eric said. He reluctantly put his gun away, if only because he didn’t want to shoot his boss.

“And if I say we’re not it would only fall prey to your twisted logic,” Holmes said. “Yet I have spent the last day with Horatio and you can see that he is fine. I would do nothing that would cause harm to Horatio, you or the rest of your team. I only want what’s best for Horatio.”

Horatio leaned back against Holmes. “Eric is Catholic, Holmes,” he said softly. “He’s been raised with certain beliefs and it’s not for us to say they’re wrong.”

“Even if they are?” Holmes asked. He sighed and stepped back. “Very well, Horatio. I’ll leave you alone to speak with him, but I do not believe it will cause you anything but pain.”

Eric’s eyes widened as the vampire vanished. “What the hell is going on here, Horatio?”

“This is going to take a while,” Horatio sighed. “Holmes, can I drink alcohol?”

“In moderation,” replied a disembodied voice.

“Thank you. Eric, would you like a drink? I’ll do my best to explain,” Horatio said. “But I need to know that you’re willing to listen and trust me. Because if you’re not, this will be a complete waste of time.”


	7. Chapter 7

Holmes was in the kitchen when Horatio walked in. “You don’t have to do this,” he whispered.

“Yes I do,” Horatio replied. “Eric is a member of my family and he deserves to hear the truth. And, even if he doesn’t really believe it, he’ll have heard it and can process the information.”

“You know I’ll be close.”

“I do, and I still want to go to the airstrip before dark.”

“You shouldn’t over work yourself today,” Holmes cautioned, looking into Horatio’s eyes. “We can go early tomorrow just as easily and there will be no harm in the delay.”

Horatio smiled, cupped the back of the vampire’s head and pulled him down for a kiss. “We’ll see how I feel after dealing with Eric.”

“Tell him the truth, starting with history,” Holmes said. “I’ll fill in any blanks you have.”

“Here we go then.” Horatio took the beers and walked back into the living room, pausing for a moment when he suddenly felt light-headed.

“H, are you okay?” Eric asked.

“I’m fine,” Horatio replied. Holmes steadied him as he walked back to Speed’s chair – the vampire invisible to Eric. “I guess I’m still just tired.” 

“That’s why you should still be in the hospital,” Eric said as he took one of the bottles.

“I’m not going back, Eric.”

“Why, because they’ll keep you away from that blood-sucker? What kind of spell does he have on you, H?”

“Eric, you’re a CSI and trained to look at the evidence without a personal bias. I know how hard that can be at times, how much you want to let religious beliefs or some other personal filter color your interpretation,” Horatio said. “There is a cultural history here, another world, to which most people are ignorant.”

“And you know all about it,” Eric said, looking around the room.

Holmes sighed. “A cross and holy water will not work on me,” his disembodied voice said. “Nor will sunlight, garlic, silver or any other of the mythological attacks. So I suggest you sit and listen to what your boss has to tell you or I will remove you from this house.”

“He said he was going to leave us alone,” Eric exclaimed.

Horatio rubbed his eyes. “Eric, you’re obviously not ready to hear this,” he said. “And I need to rest. Go let the team know I’m home and I’m fine, please.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with that monster,” Eric said.

“Even if he was an evil one, how would you save me?” Horatio asked. “No one can kill a vampire. I promise you the last thing he wants to do is hurt me.”

“You’re under his spell,” Eric said. “You’re not thinking rationally, so I’m staying.”

“Then make yourself useful and start the grill,” Holmes said as he appeared in the doorway. “Horatio, do you have any steak or red meat in the house?”

“No,” Horatio said.

Holmes growled softly and ran a finger along Horatio’s cheek, causing Horatio to shudder. “I should have been more prepared for this,” he said. “I’m going to the store, my dear Horatio. I want you to go to bed and sleep while I’m gone.”

“I’m fine,” Horatio protested sleepily.

“I know, but humor me,” Holmes said with a quick smile. “You need to rest, Horatio, and allow your body time to adjust.”

“You did bite him!” Eric jumped up and pulled his gun again. Holmes reacted faster than either human could follow and pinned the younger man to the wall.

“Listen to me,” Holmes hissed. “At the risk of sounding clichéd, you will kill Horatio if you shoot me. You are involved in something you cannot possibly understand because you are blinded by your biases. The only thing this will accomplish is hurting Horatio and that is something I will not allow. Until you are willing to come into this house with an open mind to listen to my history, you are not welcome here. I suggest you leave.”

“Horatio,” Eric said as he struggled to get loose.

“He’s right, Eric,” Horatio replied. “My life changed the moment I was shot and I need my family to listen, understand and support me in this. Holmes, please let him go.”

“You don’t know what you need, H,” Eric said as he slid to the floor.

Holmes plucked up the gun. “I believe I shall keep this for now,” he said. “As I do not wish to be shot upon my return. Bed, my dear Horatio. I shall return soon.”  
********************

Horatio awoke to concerned green eyes staring down at him. “Calleigh?” he asked sitting up on the sofa. “Where’s Holmes?” He was a little disoriented; the last thing Horatio remembered was Holmes ordering him to go to bed.

“If you mean your British friend, he’s out on the back porch grilling your dinner,” Calleigh replied. She sat down in Speed’s chair. “Horatio, Eric called and told me you were here. He’s ready to shoot your friend and then get a priest to bless you and the house. What were you thinking?”

“I wanted Eric to know the truth and I thought he could handle it,” Horatio sighed. “I guess I hoped that he trusted me enough to listen with an open mind.”

“Maybe I can reach him,” Calleigh sighed. “Is your friend really a vampire?”

“Sherlock Holmes, at your service, madam,” Holmes said as he entered the living room. He had two plates, each with a steak and rice, in his hands. “You need to eat, Horatio, to replace the blood you lost.”

“Yes, Calleigh, he is a vampire,” Horatio said. He took the plate and grinned. “You didn’t have to cut up my food for me, Holmes.”

The vampire flushed. “I thought it would be easier for you to eat in here,” he said. “Focus on the steak first and then the rice, you need protein and iron to get well.”

“Horatio, you have some explaining to do, starting with how you met a vampire,” Calleigh said. “And then how could you let him bite you?”

“You’ll need to know a lot of history before my answers make any sense,” Horatio replied. “Holmes, should I start taking an iron supplement so I don’t get so run down every week?”

“Not yet,” Holmes replied. “You should be fine once the initial adjustment period is over. This is why I cautioned you against going out again today.”

“So you’re saying that because you’ll be taking excess blood next time, I won’t suffer these side effects?” Horatio asked.

“I believe so. Plus it is possible that the bond is still forming and that is making you tired as well,” Holmes said. “Eat, and we can retire.”

Calleigh was looking back and forth between the pair. “Okay, now I’m really confused,” she said. “I thought all vampires were evil.”

“That is part of the history you still must learn,” Holmes said with a quick smile. “I promise you that I only want what’s best for Horatio.”

“I’ve got some books you can read, Calleigh,” Horatio added. “Maybe you can help me convince Eric and Alexx this is a good thing.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but Eric might be a lost cause,” Calleigh sighed. “Horatio, I did do everything I could to keep him out of your room so he wouldn’t find out about you and Tim. I didn’t think Eric would understand.”

“Thank you,” Horatio said. “I still guard my time and relationship with Tim very closely. You’re the only one at the lab who knows about us.”

“Not even Alexx?” Calleigh asked, surprised.

Horatio chuckled and took another bite of his steak. “Not even Alexx,” he said after he swallowed. “Tim and I were very careful at the lab.”

“So all the videos you have?” Calleigh asked.

“Were primarily made for when one of us had to be out of town,” Horatio smiled. “Although I doubt Tim knew how much comfort they would be to me once he was gone. I can watch them and not only hear his voice, but remember him as he was, not how he died.”

Holmes wrapped an arm around Horatio’s shoulders. “If you’re not too embarrassed, I’d like to see these videos,” he said. “I’d like to see and learn about Tim, if you’ll share him.”

“I’d love to,” Horatio smiled. “Thank you for not being jealous about this.”

“Jealousy about a past love who still holds a place in your heart would be pointless,” Holmes said. “And now, Calleigh, if you’ll excuse us. I believe I should get Horatio to bed, he needs his sleep.”

“I’ll do my best to keep the team at bay,” Calleigh said. “I can’t say I’m exactly comfortable with the fact that you’re a vampire, but I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for now. But it will be another matter if you hurt Horatio.”  
********************

“Is this Tim?” Holmes asked.

Horatio rolled onto his side and looked at the picture Holmes was holding. “That’s him; Tim Speedle, nicknamed Speed for both his skills in the trace lab and the motorcycle he loved to ride. I did and do love him, Holmes.”

“That love is a part of you and I would never try to remove it,” Holmes said. “I did not expect you to be pure when we bonded. That would have been unfair to us both.”

“Thank you,” Horatio said sleepily. “Are you coming to bed?”

“In a while. I want to clean up first,” Holmes said. “Sleep, Horatio. Tomorrow we start the hunt for you shooters.”


	8. Chapter 8

Horatio awoke slowly, rolled over and found gray eyes studying him. “Don’t you ever sleep?”

“A few hours a night,” Holmes replied. “I spent some time in your office reading your texts on vampires. I am impresses that you managed to locate so many factual books where there are so many published that are nothing more than lies.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Horatio said. “I’ll leave them with Calleigh when we, when we leave Miami.”

“She’ll at least consider the information,” Holmes said. “How do you feel this morning?”

“Better. Are we going to the airstrip?” 

“After you have eaten something. You need to remain well nourished to get your blood healthy again.”

“To keep you well nourished,” Horatio grinned. He reached up and pulled the vampire in for a slow kiss, shuddering at the contact. Holmes rolled them until Horatio was on top and deepened the kiss, needle sparks pricking at Horatio’s front. He moaned softly and reluctantly pulled back. “I don’t think I have the energy for this yet.”

Holmes smiled and ran a finger along Horatio’s face. “You will,” he said. “For this and so much more. But for now, allow me to take care of you.” He reached between them and wrapped his long, cool fingers around Horatio’s cock. Horatio almost melted down against his lover, relaxing into the knowing electric touch until the tension grew to be too much and he came with a moan.

“I don’t want to move,” Horatio murmured.

“Go shower and I’ll fix breakfast,” Holmes said. “The sooner we get this case solved, the sooner you can move forward.”  
********************

It was strange to be driving around in his personal car rather than one of the Hummers. Horatio couldn’t remember the last time he’d been off call and hadn’t had a Hummer with him. He parked where the plane had been and got out. Trained blue eyes picked out the signs of both the scene investigation and the clean-up.

Holmes wrapped his arms around Horatio from behind. “Relax, only you can see me,” he whispered. “I can smell your blood, Horatio; your blood and your pain.”

“Will you be able to smell anything else?” Horatio asked softly. “Or will the smell of my blood overwhelm your senses?”

“That happens anyway,” Holmes replied with a nip to Horatio’s neck. “Watson believed you were shot from above rather than by someone on equal footing. There aren’t that many places here that allow for an elevated shot.”

“Only one that I can see,” Horatio said. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“Stay downwind,” Holmes replied with a smile. “What are you going to do when you learn the identity of your shooter or shooters?”

“I wish I knew,” Horatio sighed. “I really hope my hunch is wrong and the person I’m thinking with involved was miles away from here.”

Holmes opened a door to the roof and stepped out. “Remain here,” he said softly, “the less distracted I am, the better by investigation will be.”

Horatio stayed in the dim stairwell and watched the vampire as he slowly moved across the roof, intense gray eyes fixed upon the ground. He could tell that the investigation his team had been running hadn’t made it as far as the roof and Horatio felt disappointed. How could they have missed something as basic as the angle of entry on the bullets? He wondered what key evidence had been lost to the elements in the weeks since his attack. “Anything?”

“A trace of a man,” Holmes replied. “However, it is not physical evidence, something you could process for a court. It is only a scent.”

“But you’ll recognize it again?”

“He tried to take you from me. I could no more forget this scent than I could that of Moriarty. The man who was up here is the man who shot you, Horatio.”

“What are the chances of us finding solid physical evidence of that?” Horatio asked.

“It depends on how stupid they were,” Holmes said. “Would it be at all possible for me to review the evidence your people collected?”

“It’s at the lab,” Horatio said. He pulled his lover in and kissed him deeply, moaning softly at the feel of Holmes’s tongue against his own and shuddered gently. “I’m still clingy, huh?”

Holmes smiled and kissed Horatio again. “Every bond is different,” he said. “If you need my touch for a longer period of time, then I am more than willing to oblige you. This is not a hardship for me I assure you.”

“I guess I’m just not used to needing someone like this,” Horatio admitted. “Come on, we might as well go to the lab. If you’re done here, that is.”

“For now,” Holmes said. “And I can promise I’ll show you exactly how special you are to me once we are at your home once more.”

********************

Calleigh walked into the print lab and started coughing. “God, Eric, what the hell did you do, bathe in garlic?” she asked. “Holmes is not going to hurt you.”

“He’s a creature of the devil, Calleigh,” Eric replied. “And you can choose to believe his lies, but I don’t.”

“So charming,” Holmes commented. “How do you feel about Italian for supper this evening, Horatio? The garlic in here makes me hungry.”

“It makes me wonder why there’s garlic in my fingerprint lab,” Horatio said taking off his sunglasses. “Especially as I remember telling you that none of the legends or myths about them were true.”

“Way to go, Eric,” Calleigh muttered. “You just seriously hurt Horatio.”

“Its okay, Calleigh. Would you show Holmes the evidence from my shooting, please? I’ll be in my office trying to make a dent in my paperwork.”

“Horatio,” Eric said softly.

“Too little, Eric. Too little, too late,” Horatio replied sadly as he left the print lab.  
********************

“Is Mr. Delko always so childish?” Holmes asked as he walked with Calleigh towards the evidence locker. He could tell that she was still nervous around him, but appreciated the support and effort she was putting into looking and acting as normal as possible.

“Only about some things,” Calleigh replied. “Look, I’m not stupid. I love Horatio like an older brother and I know he’s not going to be able to stay in Miami forever. I just want to be sure he’s happy.”

“When Horatio was shot, his soul took him back in time to my side, to be sure that he lived,” Holmes said. “And I have waited since that time to come to him again. Yes, Miss Duquesne, Horatio will be happy with me. It pains him to think of leaving his family here, but he does so to keep you safe.”

“How long do we have?”

“A year, maybe two. The evil one is merely dormant and I am the only one who will be able to kill him for good. Past that, it is only a matter of time.”

Calleigh wiped her eyes and took down a box. “I understand,” she said softly. “Here’s the evidence from Horatio’s crime scene.”

“Why did you not check the roof of the nearby hanger?” Holmes asked.

“The hanger?”

Holmes glanced at her. “The location of the shooter,” he said. “Horatio and I located it today when we visited the airstrip. My dear friend Watson is the one who tended Horatio’s wounds and reported he was shot from above. It was not a hard deduction to make.”

“We were told the shots were on the level,” Calleigh said, her eyes wide. “We never even thought to look at the roof.”

“No physical evidence remains. I was, however, able to detect the scent of the shooter. He will not escape me.”  
********************

Once Holmes and Horatio had left the lab Calleigh settled in at her desk and thought. She was mad at Eric for his extremely childish attitude and behavior that had hurt Horatio so deeply. It was obvious that Horatio was in love and equally obvious that Holmes loved Horatio. The fact that the Englishman was a vampire just didn’t seem nearly as important as it had the previous day, now that Horatio’s happiness was put in the balance. And after everything Horatio had been through, he deserved to be happy. Calleigh had seen the look in Horatio’s eyes – there was no way he was going to forgive Eric this time around.

Calleigh also needed to decide what to do about the investigation into Horatio’s shooting. She was absolutely mortified that they’d missed something so obvious and let all the physical evidence erode with time. She knew that she should just go and explain everything to Horatio and Holmes and let them help her figure out what to do next. But she had also seen the look in the vampire’s eyes when he was talking about the scent he’d picked up at the airstrip. At that moment, all her fears had come flooding back and it was all she could do to stay in the same room with him. It was remarkable easy to forget the man was actually a vampire, one who would do anything to avenge Horatio and keep him safe.

Which was ultimately the reason Calleigh was keeping quiet about what she knew. But she had to do something. With a deep sigh she stood and went back to the main part of the lab, looking for the CSI who had ridden to the hospital with Horatio. The one who had collected the bullets and reported on the wound trajectory.

“Ryan, we need to talk.”


	9. Chapter 9

Holmes paused in the parking lot, his gray eyes distant, considering. “Horatio, would you mind heading home on your own?” he asked. “There’s one last thing I want to check on before I join you.”

“What’s wrong?” Horatio asked.

“I’m not sure. It’s something that Calleigh said to me. I just want to ask her about it.” Holmes smiled quickly. “Why don’t you go make a start on supper for us? The faster we eat, the faster we can retire for the evening.”

Horatio flushed and ducked his head a little. “Okay, just don’t kill anyone in there,” he said. “At least not without telling me about it first.”

“I won’t.” Holmes vanished and moved back towards the lab. He didn’t want to tell his blood bonded that the reason the shooters were still at large in Miami was because one of his team lied about the evidence.

Holmes didn’t like the conclusions he was drawing about the lab. Calleigh seemed to be the only one he could trust. Eric was a nuisance that he might have to convince to stay away from Horatio – not that it would be a difficult thing to do – and he despaired about the others as they had let so simple a thing slip through their fingers. He had been under the impression that the CSIs were trained to analyze the evidence and draw conclusions from it, much as he had always done (much to Lestrade’s dislike and misfortune) and yet. And yet. Holmes couldn’t shake the feeling that he was going to find half of the team who conspired to take away his Horatio inside the very team Horatio considered his family.

It wasn’t hard to find Calleigh again and he could tell that she had just come to a decision. Holmes fell into step behind her as she started walking through the lab, obviously looking for someone. She finally stopped in the garage. “Ryan, we need to talk.”

A sandy haired young man looked up from the car he was processing. “Oh, hey Calleigh, what’s up?” he asked.

“Why did you tell us that Horatio was shot on the level?” Calleigh asked folding her arms over her chest.

“Because he was,” Ryan replied. He put down the ALS and pulled off his gloves.

“No, he wasn’t,” Calleigh said. “He was shot from the roof of the hanger that was just across the air strip from him. Why would you lie about something like that, Ryan?”

“Calleigh, listen to me,” Ryan said moving closer. “Horatio was shot by someone standing at the same height he was. I don’t know where you got the idea that he was shot by someone standing on top of the hanger, but he wasn’t. How could you even think I’d betray Horatio?”

She ran a hand through her hair. “Ryan, Horatio went to the air strip today with another investigator and they found traces of a suspect on top of the hanger. How do you think I felt when they came in here and asked me why we didn’t search up there? The look in Horatio’s eyes about killed me.”

Ryan stepped closer and slipped his hand into his lab coat. He was right next to Calleigh before he found that he couldn’t move. “What the hell?”

“Ryan, what are you doing?” Calleigh asked stepping back.

“It is always unwise to risk the wrath of a woman,” Holmes said from behind Ryan. He appeared suddenly, Ryan’s hands firmly held in his own. “But doubly so to risk the wrath of a woman so obviously full of fighting spirit as Calleigh. I do hope he didn’t hurt you, my dear.”

“Holmes, what are you doing here?” Calleigh asked.

“I was curious as to who, exactly, told you the location of Horatio’s shooter,” Holmes said. He reached carefully into Ryan’s pocket and pulled out a syringe. “And I would imagine this would knock you out for several hours, more than enough time for him to escape, or eliminate you as a threat. I suggest you let me take over for now and forget you ever saw me here.”

“What are you going to do to him?” Calleigh asked.

Holmes smiled quickly. “Nothing that will harm him, Calleigh,” he said. “At least, not yet. If he refuses to give me the name of his partner – the man who actually shot Horatio – then he might find things a little uncomfortable.”

“Who are you?” Ryan asked fighting against the iron grip around his arm.

“I am the one who deduced where Horatio was shot from,” Holmes replied with a quick smile. “I am also the one who has promised to take care of the shooters so he won’t have to. Consider me your last court of appeal.”

“Are you going to take him to Horatio?” Calleigh asked.

“That’s exactly what I intend,” Holmes said. “For now.”  
********************

Horatio wasn’t sure what was going through Holmes’s mind, but thought some things through on the drive home. He wanted to set up a trust fund for Kyle and maybe money he received from selling the house could go into that as well. Horatio didn’t think that Kyle would want to stay in Miami forever and didn’t think that leaving him the house would be such a good idea. His son would be able to use the money to go to college and live while he worked out what he wanted to do with his life. He also wanted to set up a fund of some kind for victims in Miami, something that would be there to help those he was no longer able to. Maybe that could be set up in Speed’s name. Everything else he could either pack up and ship to England when the time came, or sell it. 

He parked in the garage and walked into the house, remembering that Holmes had asked for Italian for supper. He started searching for the items he’d need and let his mind drift again. Horatio wasn’t stupid and he knew that Holmes had a very good reason for going back into the lab and he suspected that it had to do with the shooting. Horatio had been hoping that he was wrong about the man who hired the shooter, that it wasn’t a member of his team, but it was starting to look like he was wrong. And that simple fact hurt.

“Horatio?” Holmes called when he walked in, dragging Ryan about half an hour later. “I believe I managed to find the first link in the chain we’re following.”

The red head walked out into the living room and felt his shoulders slump. “I had hoped I was wrong, Mr. Wolfe,” he said softly. “How did you catch him, Holmes?”

“Calleigh was informed that you were shot on the level rather than above, and this is the man who relayed that information to your team,” Holmes said. “When I arrived, he was about to attack Calleigh.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine, shaken and has a lot of questions that I do not think we can answer, but fine,” Holmes replied. “Is this the man you believed put out a contracted hit on you, my dear Horatio?”

“It is,” Horatio said. “But I’m not sure as to why. I did everything I could to help you, Mr. Wolfe, and don’t know that I could have done any more.”

“You never accepted me on the team,” Ryan said. “You have never once called me by my first name. All you see is a replacement for Tim Speedle and I’m sick of it.”

“Holmes,” Horatio said softly.

“If that is what you wish,” Holmes said. “He was marked the moment he made the decision to take you away from me.”

“I just don’t want to know the details,” Horatio said. “I’ll finish dinner.”

Holmes reached out and cupped Horatio’s face, causing a small shiver. “I will find out the other names involved with this, Horatio,” he said. “And I will take care of it. You won’t have to know any more than you already do.”

“Don’t make him suffer,” Horatio said softly. “For all that he believes I didn’t accept or want him on my team, I did consider him family. Let him pay for what he did, but please don’t draw it out more than you have to.”

“For you,” Holmes said. “I’ll be back shortly.”  
********************

Holmes made Ryan drive out to a remote spot and took him a ways away from his car. “This is your last chance to tell me who your partner is,” he said softly. “I will find out eventually, and he shall suffer a similar fate to your own.”

“I still don’t get who you are,” Ryan protested.

“Don’t you?” Holmes leaned in. “I’m a vampire, one who almost lost the most important person in his life because of you, and I want to take every second Horatio suffered out of your worthless hide. However, because he asked me to, I shall make this very quick. But know that I do it for him and not out of any sympathy for you.”

“I’m not telling you anything and my team will find out that you’re the one who killed me,” Ryan said.

“Calleigh and Horatio already know what’s happening out here,” Holmes said. He took out a knife and shifted behind Ryan. “Don’t you think they would have stopped me if they really cared what happened to you? As for Eric, he’s too scared of me to come within a yard of me. No, none shall care what happened to you out here. Tell me the name of the man who shot Horatio.”

“You’ll just have to figure it out for yourself.”

Holmes sighed and quickly slashed Ryan’s throat, pushing him down on the ground. He stood there and watched until all the life had drained away. Then he left, leaving not a trace of himself behind. It would almost appear that Ryan Wolfe had killed himself, except for the wound track and lack of a weapon.  
********************

The table was set and Horatio was on the back deck when Holmes returned. He turned and burrowed in against the vampire. “Is it over?” he asked. 

Holmes wrapped his long arms around his bonded, noticing that the shiver was less pronounced when they were both dressed. “It is, and he did not suffer much,” Holmes replied. “He would not tell me the name of your shooter, my dear Horatio. That is something we must work out for ourselves. Where should we start?”

“With dinner and bed,” Horatio said. “I have a lot of enemies in this city and hunting them down one by one will take weeks. We need to figure out another plan.”

“And we will,” Holmes smiled. He kissed his lover gently. “We will find the other man who made you suffer. And then I will repay the favor.”


	10. Chapter 10

When Horatio went to the lab the next morning, Holmes insisted on going with him, promising to remain invisible unless something happened and Horatio needed him. Horatio agreed because he knew they needed to start searching for the man Ryan had hired to try and kill Horatio, but also because he knew that Holmes wanted to protect him. All his life Horatio had been the one protecting others, and he found that he enjoyed being pampered a little by his vampire.

Calleigh had been extremely efficient while she was in charge of the lab, giving Horatio hope that his lab and city would be in good hands once he left. While Calleigh wouldn't have the contacts he did, she'd be able to form her own connections if given the time. What it also meant was that there wasn't a lot of paperwork on Horatio's desk when he walked into his office. He finished up what little there was, handed out case assignments and went to find Calleigh.

"Horatio, what happened yesterday?" she asked when he walked into the ballistics lab.

"What do you mean, Calleigh?"

"Ryan lied to us, you almost died, he tried to do something to me and then Holmes dragged Ryan out of here," Calleigh exclaimed. "I need to know what's going on."

The red head sighed and sat down. He felt his vampire behind him cool hands resting on his shoulders and leaned back a little with a small shiver, trusting Holmes to support him. "Holmes brought Mr. Wolfe over last night," he started. "It seems that Mr. Wolfe is mad that I never accepted him as a full member of the team, that I only saw him as Speed's replacement. So, for some reason, Mr. Wolfe is the one who hired my shooter."

"Did he give you a name?" Calleigh asked.

"No, he held firm on that," Horatio replied. "But Holmes and I are working on it, and I'm sure we'll be able to find my attacker soon enough."

"So that's why Ryan lied about the location of your shooter, he wanted to protect his partner as long as he could," Calleigh said. "Where is Ryan now?"

"I gave him 24 hours to get out of Miami," Horatio replied using the story he and Holmes had come up with to protect the vampire.

Calleigh was shocked. "Horatio, he tried to have you killed," she exclaimed. "You should have arrested him on the spot."

"On what evidence, Calleigh?" Horatio asked. "I doubt he was stupid enough to leave a paper trail when he hired the shooter, and there was no physical evidence at the airport to tie him to the shooting in any way. No, it's better this way."

"And Holmes just let him go?"

"Holmes won't do anything that would hurt me, Calleigh. He's not happy about the way events turned out last night, but he listened to my wishes."

"To be honest, I'm a little surprised he's not with you today," Calleigh said. "I'd've thought he'd be glued to your side until this is all over."

"He's searching for clues to lead us to the shooter," Horatio said. "Calleigh, there's something else I need to talk with you about. I'm going to retire in a year or so and want to leave the lab in your hands."

"That soon?" she gasped. "We just got you back, H, how are we going to stand losing you again?"

He sighed again. "I can't stay here forever, Calleigh," Horatio said. "I've stopped aging and I don't want to have to answer awkward questions in a few years."

"What are you going to do?"

"Travel for a couple of years, see the world," Horatio said. "Truthfully I'm concerned Kyle will try and follow me and I don't want that to happen. I'll make sure he'll be well taken care of here and explain things as best I can."

"So you're just going to vanish?"

"Yeah, I have to. I'm going to outlive everyone here and I'll need to cut all ties to Miami."

"Do you know where you'll end up?" Calleigh asked. "Holmes is from England, isn't he?"

"Originally, yes, although he tells me he has homes in several countries now. I imagine we'll settle wherever we're both happy," Horatio said. "We haven't really talked about the future, because we're both working to catch my shooter."

"But Horatio, you're going to be spending the rest of your life with him," Calleigh said, shocked.

"I know I love him and he loves me," Horatio smiled. "That's all I really need to know. I'll be able to stay in touch with you for a few years, until it's just too dangerous, but I won't be able to visit. You'll be fine without me, Calleigh. These past few weeks have proven that. It's not going to be easy on any of us, but this is what we have to do."

She tried to smile. "Okay."  
********************

Horatio stayed out of the field, delegating that job to Calleigh, and stayed in his office getting caught up on some older paperwork that needed to be done before he retired. It was strange to think that in a year or so he wouldn't be a policeman or CSI, he wouldn't be in Miami anymore. He'd be with Holmes, but what would he do to keep from getting bored?"

"Your heart rate just increased, my dear Horatio," Holmes murmured. "What happened?"

"I was just wondering what I'll do after I leave Miami," Horatio replied just as softly. "My job has always defined me, this is who I am. Who will I become once I retire?"

"You fear growing bored."

"I guess."

Holmes smiled and ran his hand through his lover's red hair, causing a shiver. "Do not fear, Horatio; I still have contacts that send cases my way from time to time. Then there is research to be done, new things to be learned, travel and time for just the two of us."

"You still work as a detective?"

"Indeed; my mind rebels at stagnation, so I have many ways to pass the time. I promise you shall never grow bored, my dearest one."

Horatio wrinkled his nose. "Holmes, do you smell garlic?" he asked looking around.

"I believe young Mr. Delko is coming to speak with you," Holmes said. "Perhaps his is his new aftershave."

"It's insulting," Horatio murmured. He turned back to the case report in front of him and was reading when Eric walked in along with the reek of garlic. "Throw it away, Eric," Horatio said softly. "I have always treated you and your girlfriends with respect; I would ask that you show me the same courtesy."

"He's not human," Eric protested.

"I never said he was," Horatio said. "I only asked that you show me and my lover the respect we deserve."

"He's got you brainwashed!"

"What did you need, Eric?"

"What?"

"I imagine you have something you want to talk with me about," Horatio said. "And, if you didn't, I suggest you make something up quickly because I'm not going to be happy if you only came into my office to insult Holmes again."

"Ryan never came home last night."

Horatio blinked. "I'm sorry, Ryan didn't what?"

"Wolfe and I have been living together for a year," Eric said. "He didn't come home and he's not answering his cell phone."

"You and Mr. Wolfe were dating?" Horatio asked slowly. He felt Holmes tense behind him. He couldn't believe it; he didn't want to believe it. Eric wouldn't have wanted him killed. It just wasn't possible.

"Oh, come on H, you're hardly in a position to object to my dating another guy," Eric said.

"It's not, it's not that, Eric," Horatio said. "It's just that I spoke with Mr. Wolfe last night and he confessed to hiring the man who shot me."

"There's no way Ryan would do something like that!" Eric yelled. "He respects you way too much!"

"That may be, Eric, but he was upset that I never accepted him onto the team and wanted revenge," Horatio said. "When he wouldn't give up the name of his partner, I gave him a day to leave Miami, to start over somewhere before I reported what I suspected. I have no firm evidence, other than his confession and a text message to link him to the shooting. I wanted to give him a better chance than he gave me."

"Okay, first of all there's no way Ryan would ever do anything like this," Eric said. "And there's no way he'd just up and leave Miami without telling me anything. What else happened? Where was that monster all night?"

"Last night and you will watch your language, Eric," Horatio snapped. "The last time I saw Mr. Wolfe was when he walked out to his car and drove away."

"You would protect him."

"Do you want to see the bite marks?" Horatio was still getting pleasant tingles from the nips Holmes had left on his inner thighs. "Holmes was with me all night and most of the morning too."

"That's disgusting!"

"Eric," Horatio said soft and deadly.

Holmes appeared in the doorway. "A more important question, Mr. Delko, is did you help your boyfriend set up Horatio's failed assignation?"

"What the hell? Where did you come from?" Eric demanded. "Have you been here the whole time?"

"I believe you'll find that I am always around," Holmes said with a quick smile. "Now answer my question."

"Of course not! Horatio is like a big brother to me," Eric snapped. "That's one reason I want to get him as far away from you as possible."

"In that you shall never succeed," Holmes said. "My dear Horatio, I won't be able to say conclusively whether Mr. Delko was involved until he's had a shower."

"The garlic?"

"Quite."

Horatio stood up. "You heard the man, Eric," he said. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"For you to shower," Horatio said. "And then, if you're not involved in this, I suggest you take the rest of the day off."


	11. Chapter 11

Holmes walked with Horatio and Eric to the locker room, invisible to everyone but his blood bonded, and waited on the far side of the room while Horatio pushed Eric into the showers. “Until the threat to you is resolved, my dearest, I don’t want you alone away from our home.”

“Do you have any other ideas about how to go about tracking down the one who actually shot me?” Horatio asked. “I was almost positive about Ryan, but I don’t know who he would have gone to for the actual assination part of it.”

“And a scent is far from good evidence to go on,” Holmes said. “I would suggest that we go and search Mr. Delko’s shared apartment for clues.”

“He won’t agree to that,” Horatio said. “And as much as he’s hurt me, I really don’t want to invade his privacy for what could be a hunch. Besides, do we even know that Ryan would have kept things there where it’s possible that Eric would be able to find and question them?”

“You do have a point,” Holmes conceded. “Do we have other avenues for investigating his movements prior to him leaving Miami last night?”

Horatio was silent for a moment. Eric came back into the room and looked over at him. “H?”

“I can still smell it,” Holmes murmured softly.

“Shower again, Eric,” Horatio said. “I can still smell garlic on you.”

Eric sighed and walked back into the showers, his shoulders slumped. Horatio leaned against the wall next to Holmes and closed his eyes. “I wish I could forgive him, Holmes,” he said softly. “I do, but all he’s shown since I woke up is that he doesn’t trust me anymore. Right now the only ones I regret leaving behind are Calleigh, Kyle and Alexx.”

“There is someone coming,” Holmes said.

Horatio looked over just as the door opened and had to smile. “Why Rick, what brings you to this part of the lab?” he asked the man in the blue suit and pink shirt. 

“Why does the whole lab smell like garlic?” Stetler asked in reply. 

“Eric had an experiment go wrong,” Horatio replied. “He’s in the shower trying to get the smell off of him and we’ve got the fans going in the lab. It’s one of the hazards of working with chemicals and unknowns. Now, what can I do for you?”

“Patrol just called me,” Stetler said. “They found the body of one of your CSIs out in the glades. They say it looks like he’s been murdered, but they don’t see traces of anyone else around.”

Horatio sighed. “I’ll be right there, Rick,” he said. “Did you let Alexx know?”

“Of course, and I want to talk to you when you get back, Horatio,” Stetler said. “I’ve got a couple of questions for you that I want answers to.”

“I’ll do my best, Rick, but if one of my people has been murdered, I might be busy for a while,” Horatio said with a lethal look. “Especially as whoever killed one CSI might not be willing to stop there.”  
************************

Holmes rode in the Hummer with Horatio towards the place where he had left both Ryan and Ryan’s car. “How shall you explain this one away?” he asked. “Your people worked a vampiric crime recently and they shall know the signs of one, even if young Wolfe was killed with a knife rather than drained of his blood.”

“That’s going to be the point I’ll focus on, that and the fact that you were with me all night,” Horatio said. “When it comes right down to it, the only one who will question that fact is Eric and the others will focus on wanting to find the killer rather than questioning you.”

“So we shall go off of impressions rather than evidence this time?” Holmes asked.

“I’m only going out for the sake of appearances,” Horatio replied. “Because everyone in Miami knows that my team is my family and the lab is the most important thing in my life. Or, it was until I met you. Truthfully, I really just want to stay in the lab and let Calleigh run this case, which is probably what I will do once I have a look around. She is going to need the experience that cases like this can bring, and I really should distance myself, especially once I have to report that Ryan hired the man who shot me. That will only raise questions about my involvement in the case.”

“You realize that Eric will tell people that you are dating, and corrupted by, a vampire,” Holmes pointed out.

“If we have to, Holmes, if we have to, we can leave,” Horatio said. “I’ll take out all my money and give it to Kyle and tell him the house is his. If he has it in writing as well, then he can do what he wishes with it, and we can just vanish.”

Holmes smiled softly. “Flee before a modern version of Stokers doctor,” he said. “We shall do as you wish, as long as you shall be safe. Tell me what you need me to do.”

“Watch my back while I’m at the crime scene,” Horatio said. “I’m not entirely sure what’s going to happen, but there are always a lot of people around and I don’t want to risk another bullet.”

“Too many people corrupt the scene. Have they learned nothing since my age?”

“I had thought that the system we have now works well, but as Ryan proved, it can be corrupted easily and, without a check of any kind, evidence can be lost and cases unsolved,” Horatio said. He parked and bit back a sigh. “Here we go.”

Holmes nodded and slipped out of the Hummer unseen. He followed Horatio closely, watching everyone around them at the crime scene and had to bite back a sigh more than once. The sheer number of officials at the scene was enough to obscure evidence from the eye of the trained investigator in a normal investigation. The fact that there was no evidence to obscure in this crime scene was a moot point. He froze as a scent reached his nose, the one scent in Miami that would catch his attention. The man who had shot Horatio was in the crowd of officials wandering around the crime scene, and Holmes was damned if the man would escape him for much longer.

Horatio moved carefully over to Alexx, where she was examining Ryan’s body. “Alexx?”

“What are you doing back at work, Horatio Caine?” Alexx asked softly. “You should be at home resting.”

“As I said when I woke up, I feel fine,” Horatio replied. “What happened to Ryan?”

“Poor baby had his throat cut from behind,” Alexx said. “From the look of the wound track he was killed by a left-handed man, but Calleigh says she can’t find a weapon and this far out she wasn’t sure if you’d want divers or not.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Horatio said. And, as if to prove his point, a gator slipped by in the water, watching them. “We should be able to learn something from the wound track when you have him cleaned up. What else, Alexx?”

“It’s odd, but I don’t think Ryan struggled,” Alexx said. “There’s nothing under his nails, no bruises or any other marks on him. It’s almost as if he just stood still and let his attacker kill him.”

Horatio looked at Alexx closely. “What exactly are you saying, Alexx?” he asked.

“Calleigh told me we have another vampire in Miami,” she replied. “How do we know he didn’t put some kind of spell on Ryan and then kill him?”

“Because vampires don’t kill with knives,” Horatio said. “It’s a waste of food for them. And based on what I can see just looking around, Mr. Wolfe was alive when his throat was cut. No vampire would waste food like this, Alexx. If it had been a vampire, Mr. Wolfe would look more like he had been attacked by a wild animal. No, a human did this for some reason. We’ll find them, Alexx. We’ll find them.”  
***********************

Holmes had moved slowly through the crowd of officers and lab personnel at the scene, searching for the scent that was slowly driving him mad. It called to him, reached across the crime scene, obscuring the scent of blood with the call to vengeance. He was almost frantic with the need to hunt, to track down and eliminate the one who tried to take Horatio away from him. Only what remained of his logical mind held him back. If he took the one that was marked for death from such a large crowd, it would only show that he had, in fact, killed Ryan Wolfe and make problems for Horatio that neither of them needed. Holmes would have to be patient, he would have to wait for the right moment to snatch his prey and kill him. It would even be possible to do it without Horatio knowing that another of his colleagues had betrayed him. He marked his target and he waited.


	12. Chapter 12

As he had planed, when they got back to the lab, Horatio turned the case over to Calleigh and went back to his paperwork. He wasn’t surprised to find Eric waiting in his office.

“Where’s the blood-sucker?” Eric asked looking around.

Holmes has trailed in silently behind Horatio and held a finger to his lips. Horatio sighed. “Eric, I am really not in the mood to deal with you right now,” he said. “Holmes went home to take care of something. What do you need?”

“Where’s Ryan?” Eric asked. “I heard what Stetler said. I know I can’t work the case, but I want to know where he is. What happened to him.”

“Eric, you need to take a step back and look at this from the lab’s standpoint,” Horatio said. “Right now, Ryan’s body is evidence in a case. When everything is done, you can go see him. But you need to let Alexx and Calleigh do their jobs so we can catch the person who was stupid enough to attack one of our own.”

“Yeah, you just don’t want to admit that it was that creature you have living with you,” Eric snorted.

Horatio took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Holmes may not be a human, Eric, but he has feelings, as do I,” he said. “How would you feel if I called Ryan an inhumane killer who was fixated on revenge?”

“I’d hate it because you’d be lying.”

“Ryan hired the man who shot me, Eric. He admitted it to me last night. Why would I lie about something like that?”

“Why would you let a leech latch onto you?”

“Get out, Eric,” Horatio said. “I have tried to be patient, but you have pushed me beyond my limits. Leave this office now and do not let me see you again.”

Eric looked at him for a moment and then stood and stormed out off the office. Horatio leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He didn’t open them when cool hands landed on his shoulders. “I wish things were different,” Holmes said softly. “What shall you do now?”

“I have to go and talk with Stetler,” Horatio sighed. “He’s not the one who shot me, is he?”

Holmes smiled softly. “No, my dearest one, he is not,” he said. “I would have killed him on the spot had he been. You shall be safe talking with him alone.”

“Alone?”

“I have some business to attend to,” Holmes said. “Shall I meet you at home?”

Horatio opened his eyes and looked up at the vampire. “You found him, didn’t you?” he asked. “The one who shot me. You don’t want to tell me who it is.”

“An investigator after my own heart,” Holmes replied. “I did find him. And I want to handle this my way. I promise that there will be evidence for his death before I kill him. I will find out the answers that you want to know, Horatio. Will you trust me to do this for you?”

“I just want an end to the pain,” Horatio said.

“Then start to put your affairs in order,” Holmes said. “And we shall leave this place as soon as the final threat to you is ended. I can return alone in a year to eliminate the evil one who waits in this soil.”

Horatio nodded. “Then I’ll see you at home,” he said. “Be careful.”

“I will, my dear Horatio, as long as you promise to do the same.”  
*********************** 

Stetler was in his office reading through files when Horatio shut the door behind him and sat down in one of the guest chairs. “Rick, we have a couple of things we need to talk about,” he said softly.

“What do you want to start with then, Horatio?”

“I’m turning the lab over to Calleigh and retiring.”

Horatio had to work not to smile when he saw how stunned Stetler was by the news. “I’m sorry?”

“The shooting did more damage than they thought, Rick,” Horatio said. “I’m not going to be able to work much longer. I’m only here to tie up my paperwork and make sure that Calleigh knows what she’s doing before I leave for good.”

“Why didn’t the doctors tell us about this?” Stetler asked.

“Those doctors are idiots who almost let me be taken off life support by a woman who isn’t even listed in my file,” Horatio replied. “I’ve since seen another doctor for an opinion. He said that as long as I’m careful I’ll be okay, but that working is out of the question, even in a lab setting. I think I’m going to travel and see some of the world, Rick. And I wanted to tell you before I sent in my paperwork because I knew that you would understand.”

Stetler seemed stunned. “I didn’t think you would ever leave the lab, Horatio,” he finally said. “And you’re going to have quite a fight with the chief about it. I know that you know how many people rely on you here.”

“I do, and I don’t make this decision lightly,” Horatio said. “In fact, if Mr. Wolfe had not conspired with a still unknown man to have me shot, I wouldn’t be in this position.”

“Ryan Wolfe did what?”

“You heard me the first time, Rick,” Horatio said softly. “I can only assume that he was meeting with my shooter last night when he was killed, probably to make sure that the shooter’s name never came out.”

“How do you know all of this?” Stetler demanded.

“A friend of mine from England caught Mr. Wolfe as he was about to attack Calleigh and stopped him,” Horatio said. “When my friend brought Mr. Wolfe to me, he confessed to hiring my shooter and lying about the angle of entry on my bullet to allow the evidence to be destroyed while I was in the hospital. I know I should have brought him back in, but I gave Mr. Wolfe the night to leave the city if he so chose. If you check my desk, you’ll find the report I wrote first thing this morning when I arrived at the lab.”

“Ignoring, for the moment, that you broke the law and the rules, how do we know that you didn’t kill Ryan Wolfe or have your friend do it?” Stetler asked.

Horatio looked directly at Stetler. “Both my friend and I are right-handed,” he said. “Mr. Wolfe was killed by a left-handed attacker,” he said. “And I believe you will agree that it is unlikely that we would be able to use our non-dominate hand without a great deal of practice and, as I had no idea who attacked me prior to last night, wouldn’t have such practice.”

“You’re right,” Stetler said. “But I trust that your friend and you are staying away from the investigation?”

“Calleigh is leading it,” Horatio said. “Rick, I don’t know of any way to find out who shot me and who, very likely, killed Mr. Wolfe. I’ve been back to the scene of my shooting and there is no evidence there. The weather and sun have done their damage, just as Mr. Wolfe hoped they would.”

“A cop shooter loose in the city,” Stetler said. “We can’t just ignore him, Horatio.”

“We won’t Rick. I know that Calleigh and Eric, along with the lab, will do everything in their power to figure out who it was, even if it takes years to do,” Horatio said. “But I don’t think that he will shoot another one of our officers. Not without the proper motivation and, with Mr. Wolfe gone, that isn’t likely to appear any time soon. I cannot promise it, but I don’t think it’s likely to happen.”

“This isn’t like you, Horatio.”

“I’m tired, Rick. I probably shouldn’t have come back at all, but I had to make sure my paperwork was finished up correctly. I couldn’t just leave everything hanging.”

“Not everyone would do something like that,” Stetler said with a small smile. “I know we haven’t always gotten along, Horatio, but the lab really won’t be the same place without you here.”

“I’ve trained them well,” Horatio said. “And my people will do the best they can to keep the city safe. Help them out as much as you can, Rick.”

Stetler nodded and stood. “I should probably go talk with Calleigh about the investigation,” he said. “Are you going home?”

“I have some business to take care of first, but yes, I will be,” Horatio said. “And I don’t need a guard, Rick. But thank you. I think we’ve shown that I do not die easily.”  
*************************

The house was still empty when Horatio got home from talking with a real estate agent that he’d been friends with for a couple of years, and also his bank. He was making arrangements to close out as many of his accounts as he could and put the house on the market. He knew that he would still have to talk with Kyle about what was going on, but Horatio knew that he would be able to set up the accounts so that Julia wouldn’t be able to touch any of the money that he left Kyle. He wanted his son to know that the money was for him to go to school and get set up in a job, not to squander, although Horatio also had a feeling that because Kyle had been without money for so many years of his life, he’d do what he wanted, but Horatio had to at least try. Once he was overseas with Holmes, he wouldn’t monitor what Kyle did with his money. It was going to be hard to cut ties with his friends and family, especially his son, but Horatio understood why he had to do it. 

He thought about cooking some dinner, but found that he really was tired and decided to just take a shower and lie down for an hour. Horatio would eat when Holmes got home. It was hard to think about, but in a week, Horatio would no longer be in Miami. He would be leaving his adopted city behind for good.


	13. Chapter 13

It wasn’t hard for Holmes to track down the man he had targeted. He stood in a corner and watched, thinking about the best way to get the man alone. He wasn’t sure how many people Eric would have talked to about him and his new relationship with Horatio, or who Calleigh might have mentioned his true nature to, and the last thing Holmes wanted to do was risk his prey learning of his true nature before they had a chance to be alone for the night. Holmes was a logical vampire, had been and would always be dependent on facts to guide his actions and cases. Holmes realized that the best thing for him to do would be to stand and study his target, learn as much as he could about the other man until he finally had a chance to get him alone. He had some questions, important questions that beat in his brain that had to be asked, but he also realized that the very act of asking questions would bring others to mind and that his Horatio would likely be alone for the night.

When the man stood to leave for the evening, Holmes followed silently out into the parking lot and marked which car the man was angling towards. It was the only one on that part of the parking lot and Holmes was just starting to wonder how he would get into it without being noticed when the man was called back by a co-worker. Fearing a trap, Holmes nonetheless got into the car as silently as he could and waited. He knew it wasn’t possible that anyone could have seen him, invisible as he was, but it was also possible that Eric or Calleigh had mentioned to his prey that the newest vampire in town could turn invisible and move around without anyone seeing him. 

The drive was not a comfortable one for Holmes, crushed in the back of the small car as he was, but he endured and took note of the turns they were making. It was a part of Miami that he was unfamiliar with, and needed to make sure that he knew how to get back to Horatio. That was more important to him than anything, the need to be with his blood-bonded. He smiled softly when he thought of Horatio, but the smile faded when he realized that the pain of betrayal by two that Horatio had thought friends would be with them for a long time. Having suffered that same betrayal once himself, Holmes knew that time would ease the pain greatly, but it would always lurk in the heart for as long as they were alive. 

He looked around closely when the car stopped and took note of the neighborhood. It wasn’t as nice as the one that Horatio lived in. There was a feel in the air that there was more to the houses than it appeared and Holmes had always trusted to that feeling. He was in a territory where things could get dangerous quickly if he was not careful. He would have to move carefully and with thought as the night progressed. 

Holmes followed his prey into the house, shadowing so closely that they could have touched if Holmes had wanted to reveal his presence earlier than he planned. He slid into the house like a ghost and moved on silent feet to explore and make sure they were alone. It wasn’t hard, the house was open and there were few hiding places. They were alone, and the prey was finally in his hands. Just how he wanted it. Holmes smiled softly and moved.

Frank Tripp froze as hands, pressure, appeared on his neck and pressed. He tried to fight back, but he couldn’t see an attacker and he was helpless. Everything went black.  
**************************

When Frank woke up, he was secured to one of his kitchen chairs in such a way that, no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t break out of. But he wasn’t sure how he was secured because he couldn’t feel anything around his wrists or body holding him in place. 

“You are a prisoner of my powers,” a cold voice said from behind him. “It wouldn’t do to let anyone know that you were held captive and questioned before your death. This has to look as natural as possible to avoid awkward questions.”

“Who the hell are you?” Frank demanded trying to twist around and look at his attacker. “What are you doing here?”

“The what is more important than the who, I feel,” Holmes said. He stayed where he was leaning on the counter. “You see, I have learned a secret about you, one that it is likely you believed none knew other than one Ryan Wolfe, who, as you know, died last night.”

“Did you kill him?”

“Let us say his actions killed him, as he was stupid enough to arrange for his supervisor to be shot and left for dead,” Holmes said. “And then lied about several points of the investigation to protect the one who shot Horatio Caine. No evidence remained that a court of law would understand, but I am a rather unique court of law. And I was able to determine the identity of Horatio Caine’s shooter and decided to do as I pleased with him as there would be no other trials.”

Frank tried to twist around again. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“No, no, it won’t do, inspector,” Holmes said softly. “I know that you are the one Ryan Wolfe went to when he wanted to have his supervisor eliminated for his own rather twisted reasons. What I do not know is why you did it. From what I understand, you and Horatio Caine have long been friends.”

“We have,” Frank said. “But Ryan gave me an offer that I just couldn’t refuse.”

“You shot to kill,” Holmes said. “You did not shoot to warn or scare off, you shot to take the life of a man who calls you friend. What sort of offer would it take to make you do such a horrible thing?”

Frank was quiet. Holmes sighed and moved around into his view. He held up a small tape recorder. “I borrowed this from Horatio before coming to visit you,” he said. “I suppose I should have warned you that it is running and your comments are being taped, but didn’t think it truly mattered in the long run.”

“You killed Ryan,” Frank said.

“So you would like to believe,” Holmes said. “However, I am right-handed and from what I understand, Ryan Wolfe was killed by one who is left-handed. We had thought that you were the one who killed your partner to keep him from talking, but you are right-handed as well.”

“I wouldn’t have killed Ryan.”

“But you would have killed Horatio.”

“Hell yeah I would have,” Frank said. “And would have too, if the pilot hadn’t been so quick to call for help. You would have shot him too, if you could have seen how he treated Ryan. Horatio didn’t give a damn for the kid, just saw him as a replacement for Tim Speedle. It wasn’t fair to Ryan.”

Holmes sighed and opened the tape recorder. “You were in love with Ryan Wolfe,” he said. He took out a tape and slipped it into his pocket and inserted another one. “Did you know that he was living with another?”

“Yeah, Delko,” Frank said. “But that was just a cover for us. Ryan didn’t care nothing for Delko.”

“Or so he told you,” Holmes said. “So we have established the why and how you assaulted Horatio Caine. There only remains one thing left for you to do. And that is to record your last words before you take your life.”

“I’m not gonna do anything of the kind,” Frank said.

Holmes looked up and a small smile flittered over his features. “Oh, I think you shall,” he said. “After all, I am a vampire and there are things that you will do for me that you would never do if you were not under my control.”  
*************************

Holmes found Horatio curled up in bed when he finally arrived home. Things with the man who had attempted to kill his blood-bonded had taken longer than he had been expecting, but in the end, Frank Tripp was dead and it looked like a suicide. Down to the taped confession and note that had been left on the dinning room table before he had used his service piece to kill himself.

He was concerned to see that the kitchen was clean and the house did not smell of dinner. He could tell that Horatio hadn’t eaten that night and wondered what was wrong. Holmes was tempted to wake Horatio and talk with his beloved about what was bothering him, but a look at Horatio’s face told Holmes that the other man needed sleep more than he needed anything else. It was possible that there had just been too many blows to a man who was fragile already and Holmes needed to take his blood-bonded out of the city as quickly as possible. He undressed and slipped into the bed, smiling when Horatio rolled over in his sleep and curled up around him. Holmes would do whatever he had to, to protect his beloved. They could talk in the morning about what they wanted to do next.


	14. Chapter 14

Horatio woke up the next morning and felt warm, but not rested. He cuddled up against the warm form next to him and sighed. “When will it end, Holmes?” he asked softly.

“It is over, my dearest one,” Holmes replied. “I killed your shooter last night before I returned home.”

“I don’t want to know who it was,” Horatio said. “I don’t want to know who else betrayed me.”

“Then let us leave,” Holmes said. “Come to London with me, Horatio, and heal there. Your home will be safe enough until I can arrange for my people to come and pack everything and transport it to a safe location.”

“That sound wonderful,” Horatio smiled. He looked up into the gray eyes that were studying him. “Do you need to feed before we leave?”

“Feeding now, Horatio, would harm you more than it would help me. We still have a day or so before you enter the danger zone and I should like to see you more rested before I take blood from you. And this is the first morning we have spent together when your body has not desired me upon awakening.”

Horatio sighed. “I didn’t realize I was so tired,” he said. 

“You have taken numerous hits since your shooting and revival in the hospital,” Holmes said. “It is only natural that you should be more than physically exhausted. If you do not improve in a few days, my brother knows of doctors who shall be able to help you.”

“I trust you, Holmes,” Horatio said. “Let me pack a few things before we leave?”

Holmes rolled over and picked up the picture of Tim Speedle and handed it to Horatio. “I believe this is the first and most important thing you need to take with you.”

“Thank you, Holmes,” Horatio smiled. He kissed the vampire softly.

“We have forever, Horatio,” Holmes said. “There is no need to rush anymore. And I shall always take care of you and those you hold dear.”

**Author's Note:**

> 1) This was my first attempt at a vampire piece. Comments, criticism, and feedback are most welcome, but please no flames. I use them to roast marshmallow, but it's too hot to do so in August. Plus it's just not nice.
> 
> 2) The title, according to http://www.yuni.com/library/latin_5.html  
> means "we have great notions of everything unknown"  
> And alternate translation - provided by David Burke in "The Red-Headed League" is that everything becomes common-place through explaination. Either works.
> 
> 3) Enjoy. I think you'll like this one. *grin*


End file.
